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Gary Grant Jr.
Real Name: Gary Lee Grant Jr. Nicknames: No known nicknames Location: Atlantic City, New Jersey Date: January 12, 1984 Case Details: A teacher's conference on Thursday, January 12, 1984, gave seven-year-old Gary Grant Jr. of Atlantic City, New Jersey the day off from school. At breakfast, he mentioned to his mother, May, that he had an "appointment" at 2:30pm, its details were secret. Around noon, he went outside to play, saying he'd be back by 4pm. When he failed to return, May began to worry. She went to the house where two of his friends lived, and they said that he had been there but left to go home around 4:30pm. After two hours had passed, May called her husband, Gary Grant Sr., a police detective. He took the night off work and searched the area fruitlessly until around 1 or 2am. By Friday morning, the police were searching for Gary. Gary Sr. was prevented from joining the official search due to regulations, so he began investigating independently. During his investigation, he met several people who remembered seeing Gary early that morning. A man named Robert Hughey realized that the disappearance was near a warehouse he owned and searched the property. At 3:30pm on Saturday, he discovered Gary's body in a vacant lot near the warehouse, less than two blocks from his home. He had been wrapped in a rug. Police noted that he had been bludgeoned to death and that a length of pipe was nearby. Around the same time, Gary Sr. came upon the scene and had to be restrained when he realized what happened. Gary grant message1.jpg|Actual message on police car door Gary grant message2.jpg|Actual message on sidewalk Nearly two years later, on January 4, 1986, a message on the side of a police car was discovered around 3am. It read "Gary Grant is dead. I am living. Another will die on 1/12/86 if all goes right." The date inscribed was the second anniversary of Gary's murder. A few weeks later, another message was found scratched into a sidewalk, reading "Gary Grant Jr. lives. I still killed him. Son of a pig officer. Payback is a M.F." It led to the belief that Gary was killed as revenge against Gary Sr., possibly by someone he arrested. Gary Sr. is still independently investigating Gary's murder and hopes that it can be solved. Suspects: On the day that Gary's body was found, investigators began questioning people in the area. One person mentioned seeing him on Thursday near the local junior high school with Carl "Boo" Mason, a developmentally-disabled twelve-year-old friend. When questioned, Carl said he last saw him on Wednesday when they rode their bikes at Texas Avenue Park. They had planned to meet on Thursday but Gary never showed up. Many people that detectives questioned said they had met on Thursday. By midnight, Carl, accompanied by his grandmother, was taken to police headquarters. He was separated from his grandmother and questioned. His responses were inconsistent and his recollection frequently changed. Around 3am, he said he had not only been with Gary at the crime scene but that he had hit him, leaving when he fell and didn't stand up again. Police felt Carl knew things only the killer would know and typed up a confession for him and his grandmother to sign. Though he insisted he hadn't killed Gary, Carl signed it, believing he would get to go home if he did so. Carl was charged with murder and moved to a juvenile detention center. On Sunday, January 15, he was given a polygraph exam, which yielded inconclusive results. A second exam was given on January 18. Both tests agreed that he was telling the truth about not killing Gary, but doubted that he was telling the truth about not being at the crime scene. A month after his arrest, a hearing determined that his confession was not admissible evidence, as none of the statements were made voluntarily. The charges against him were dropped. Gary Sr. believes Carl's older brother, who was arrested on robbery charges days before Gary's murder, may have tried to force Gary into taking part in a scheme where he used children to rob houses. In such a situation, Gary would likely refuse and instead try to inform the police, which could have led to his murder as an attempt to silence him. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the December 1, 1993 episode. A reward of $15,000 is being offered for it. Gary Sr., who now lives in Puerto Rico, started a Facebook page in memory of Gary; it is no longer available. Results: Unsolved. Gary's killer(s) has never been caught or identified nor has the author of the messages. However, Gary Sr. recently found a tape which contained two 911 calls about the case. The first one occurred on March 8, 1986; the caller claimed to be Gary's killer and asked about receiving a reward for turning himself in. He ended the call by stating that they would never catch him. The second one occurred on June 2, 1986; the caller claimed that Gary's killer had confessed to him. He claimed that Gary's killer had committed the crime because of an arrest Gary Sr. made. The caller has never been identified and it is unknown if he is actually involved in Gary's murder. Gary Sr. still believes that Carl had some involvement in Gary's death. He believes that he most likely witnessed the attack and knows the perpetrator. However, no other evidence has been found to link him or anyone else to the crime. Links: * Gary Grant Jr. on Unsolved.com * Atlantic City police officer's son found dead, apparently of beating * 12-year-old accused of killing boy * 12-year-old charged in the beating death of Atlantic City boy, 7 * 12-year-old Atlantic City boy is held in slaying of friend, 7 * Charges filed against 12-year-old in death of boy, 7 * Boy faces trial in beating death of playmate * Detective says he won't be one-man vigilante in bid to find son's killer * Detective Assigned to Find His Son's Killer * Retired A.C. officer goes online to find son's killer, 25 years later * Atlantic City child murder cold case could heat up after new discovery * Audiotape offers clue in Gary Grant Jr.'s 1984 Atlantic City slaying * 35 years later: 7-year-old's murder remains unsolved in A.C. * Atlantic City boy's murder still on prosecutor's radar 35 years later * Reddit Discussion of Gary Grant Jr. * Gary Grant Jr. on Find a Grave ---- Category:New Jersey Category:1984 Category:Murder Category:Disappearances Category:Harassment Category:Officer-Involved Cases Category:Unsolved